A Little More Human
by jianbird
Summary: With that said, the beautiful monster then blessed her with a rare, satisfied smile and for once, it didn't unnerve Ichigo. Even if that look on her face was only there at her own expense, she didn't detest it and perhaps that was one of the reasons why she was so stupid. (AO3/FF)
1. Chapter 1

So, this is my first fanfiction in several years! My love for Darling in the Franxx has inspired me to come back and attempt this again with hopefully better writing than my first cringeworthy fics were. Nobody has written any material on Ichigo/002, so I thought it'd be nice to give this ship some attention and love.

My second chapter will be a lot longer at this rate and make up for how short this one is I hope. I try to switch from Ichigo's and Zero Two's perspectives in this fanfic, although this chapter is mainly from Ichigo's standpoint. Please enjoy and leave kudos if you did! It'll mean a lot to me, so I can know if I'm doing well or not.

Also, if you find any mistakes, please do point them out. Most times, they'll slip right underneath my nose even if I believe everything looks perfect.

Due to some grateful feedback, I've changed the format tremendously, so I hope it's easier and more enjoyable for people to read.

 **EDIT** : This story, as of now, is discontinued. I don't believe I'll come back to it, but thank you all who have read it. I didn't initially have any ideas for it since it was more of a warm-up for me to get back into writing. As of now, I'm working on 'Your Smile In Spring'. Please do check it out!

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She wasn't sure how she ended up in this situation, but having her back pinned up against the cold wall of an old, long abandoned building by a certain unruly, pink-headed girl was not what Ichigo had in mind when Nana informed them that they would be resting up at one of the few beaches that still breathed in a world like theirs.

God, how did things escalate to this? One minute she was blindly following Mitsuru into a foreign cave just to see what her teammate had discovered, and then the next Ichigo was being pestered by this cheeky girl.

"Darling and I have done that," Zero Two had whispered into her ear, causing the hairs on her neck to sit up immediately because she hadn't heard the parasite sneak up behind her at all.

How long had she been following her around? Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest now as a familiar sense of nervousness rushed through her body and put her mind into a state of panic. That happened quite frequently these days despite the fact that it was unbecoming of a leader. And usually, those uncontrollable, irrational emotions of hers were centered around one person within their group and indirectly he was still the main cause of why her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest at any moment. However, this time, the half-klaxosaur blood has weaved her way in between that.

It seemed to permanently describe their relationship ever since the unexpected duo ended up partnering together. Something she had failed to do for Hiro and it still stung whenever the bitterness of her brain chose to recall what she deemed her biggest failure. As always Zero Two was the thing that separated her from Hiro and also the person who caused her so many troubles whether it was truly the parasite's fault, or not.

Although now it couldn't be helped with what the girl was boasting to her about. Yes, she has already known that Zero Two and Hiro shared a kiss between one another, and as her imagination unforgivably ran wild, her heart in her chest clenched in discomfort. That dull pain that haunted her almost every day. Why did Zero Two have to go as far as to remind her and then rub it in her face?

The smugness she wore on her face now told Ichigo that Zero Two completely relished in the advantage the girl believed she had over her. As if winning Hiro's affection was a competition between them.. Yet couldn't she deny that it wasn't, could she? Her actions didn't match up to her thoughts nowadays.

"Done what?" She decided to play ignorant, hoping that Zero Two would find it in her heart to just leave her alone if she played oblivious.

Just as she'd done earlier when questioned by her teammates about the subject of 'kissing'. Of course, Zero Two had to completely defy the wish she was screaming to herself in her head.

"Kissed," she said with so much confidence that Ichigo somehow wished she could wash that arrogance off the parasite's face. However, even here she felt hopeless.

"But I guess you guys aren't ready for that," Zero Two continued once she was greeted with silence from the other.

Her words left a bitterness in Ichigo's mouth. What honestly made Zero Two think she was so above them outside of their reliability during missions? Right now they were on a small break, therefore no rivalry of any sort should spring up in an environment where they should be off their defenses for a day. Yet it naturally did when it involved the two of them.

Ichigo has come to notice that the only times Zero Two approaches her was only to antagonize her about Hiro, but it wasn't as if she was actively looking for Zero Two herself either. She actually went out her way to avoid the girl as much as she could. However, it was inevitable with how much she attached herself to Hiro's hip.

That thought caused another pang in her chest and the small girl resisted the urge to bring her hand to the center of her shirt and curl her fingers into it. Whatever laugh Zero Two wanted to get from her, she wished she'd hurry already! Her hands balled up into two shaky fists and at that moment, Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

"I-I know! I-I've done it too."

 _Huh_?

The words left her mouth before her brain could stop and decide whether it was a good idea or not, but as with her past mistakes with her inability to think rationally, this was only another. Warmth spread across her cheeks and she didn't need a mirror to know that she was probably blushing before the other. Zero Two had caused this out of her?

No, it has to be because the subject of their conversation forced her to remember... That particular night.

However, while she was even more flustered than before, Ichigo felt a small boost of confidence after proving to the parasite that she had the same advantage over her. She concluded with this that Zero Two wasn't a person so far ahead of her as the girl has made her believe. Hah! How will she take that? Ichigo suppressed the need to mirror the other's sly smile, not wanting to seem as cocky as her. Yet even with her confession, the girl remained undaunted.

"Oh, really? With whom?" Zero Two pried, dwindling Ichigo's hope that she'd cut her some slack any time soon.

As the girl asked this, Zero Two took the authority to rest her arm beside Ichigo's head and lean not only her body, but her face in closer to hers. Perhaps it was for the sake of privacy, or Zero Two pettily just wanting to it intimidate her some more and just maybe it was succeeding a little bit. No, it succeeded much more than just a little because her heart running amuck in her chest has never sounded so loud before until now.

Zero Two couldn't hear it, right? It was so eerily quiet in this long deserted town that Ichigo was almost certain that the girl could despite it not being her own body. Why has she gotten so close? Instinctively, Ichigo made the move to lean away from her, but as the heels of her feet and her back were met only with hardwood, the shorter parasite realized she was trapped here.

Curiosity and interest filled Zero Two's mind. She believed that Ichigo was only bluffing because she has not met many parasites that new about the adult world more than her considering how sheltered they were. Not understanding something like a kiss was an unfortunate way of missing out on the exhilarating things in life.

Someone like Ichigo kissing another person? Pft, not likely.

Zero Two was fully aware that she only had an infatuation for Hiro, therefore she would not let those lips of hers so easily touch another's. Unless... Had they? That swelling pride on her face soon twisted into something darker and for once, Zero Two wasn't sure what it was. But all of a sudden, she very much felt as if she was being threatened despite the fact that nobody had a weapon pointed her way.

Has her property been stolen, or marked before she'd gotten her hands on it? On him. Her eyes narrowed some, dangerously in fact but Zero Two still wanted to hang onto the chance that Ichigo was simply lying to her.

"It has to be with someone special you know. So, who did you kiss?"

The girl shifted her weight into her other leg, her eyes not removing themselves from the shy and embarrassed one's that seemed too intimidated to meet her own. That wasn't a first. A nice, wafting aroma hit Ichigo's nostrils and almost immediately she knew where this pleasant smell came from. Did Zero Two always smell this nice?

It was... different from how Miku's, Kokoro's, and Ikuno's individual scents. While theirs did nothing for her, Zero Two's effortlessly captured her attention? The scent was mildly sweet yet fresh at the same time, reminding her of a resplendent peace that she has not yet experienced.

The fact that she was able to smell the girl's aroma so vividly only reminded her of how close their two bodies were and in that moment, Ichigo wasn't too sure if her heart was only racing in her chest because of the memory of her mouth pressed against Hiro's ransacking her brain again.

But what was that about? Only _he_ has managed to extract these kinds of strange feelings out of her, so it felt even more unusual to be in this kind of situation with Zero Two. This was all because of the girl's lack of personal space. Not wishing to meet that sharp and skeptical stare of hers that seemed to stare right into her soul, Ichigo lowered her eyes to look away but that too would be an unfortunate mistake on her part since the young girl's body then filled her vision.

It was hard not to notice how much more filled out she was when her white, clad one-piece hugged the curves she sometimes wished she possessed so tightly. Insecurity wasn't what was bothering her at the moment however since she's long gotten over silly things like that. It was the strange interest she had in the other's body that imbalanced her.

The girl never stopped to notice before, but Zero Two possessed a seemingly flawless complexion that was normally hidden underneath their uniforms that left only their hands and necks exposed. For a minute, Ichigo wondered how soft she would feel if she were to touch the other's milky skin and then the wet droplets that enameled her entire body gathered her attention. She was still wet from the ocean.

Looking up, Ichigo was able to confirm that her damp, pale pink hair followed the same fate. Why did a monster have to look so beautiful? The girl knew herself that she was going too far out of line now, so decided that avoiding the sight of Zero Two's body altogether would suit as the best temporary solution for her unusual captivation in the parasite.

"Hey, I asked you a question." Zero Two's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, her tone a lot more impatient and slightly harder this time.

She was not known for being soft-spoken with anyone who was not Hiro, but her words did force Ichigo's gaze to lift from the concrete beneath their bare feet and to meet with Zero Two's cyan pools instead.

Had she ever seen a gemstone in person, Ichigo would've definitely compared their beauty to one here. This lack of proximity was helping her notice things about the other more than before. Or perhaps this fascination was always here, but the distance she willingly tried to put between her and Zero Two made that harder to acknowledge until now. Or maybe she just did not know how to behave in this situation regardless of the other person's gender. Regardless if they were a friend or foe.

She really wanted to know then? Well, fine. She could tell her and maybe then Zero Two will finally back down from her bold advances? Nervousness filled her, but her courageousness burned louder and couldn't stop herself from blurting out what she really wished to say to her this entire time.

"It... It was Hiro, okay?"

" _Now you're not the only one_ ," Ichigo didn't add but wish she had.

For the quickest moment, Zero Two's eyes widened slightly as her brain absorbed the information that was just sent to her. A second later, however, her facial features fell slack and took that composed yet impassive look that Ichigo always misread as boredom. Ichigo... and her Darling has kissed each other? Did this take place before he ran into her world, or afterward? She didn't like the way this made her feel even when she considered both probable scenarios.

Zero Two wasn't angry nor was she irritated, but something did tell her to be deeply upset about this. After all, Ichigo has touched her beloved Darling whether it was before she had marked him as her own or afterward. Her stoic expression took an unexpected shift now and returned to the casual, thoroughly amused face she sported before.

As if she found a ray of hope between the brief cloud that hung over her head just that quickly and it was undeniable that Zero Two did have a clever idea up her sleeve that was now known to the suspecting shorter one.

"Eh? Is that so?"

She did nothing to hold back the wide, clever smile that stretched across her entire face as Zero Two's long fingers settled underneath Ichigo's jaw and her thumb slowly swiped at her chin. And slowly that smile of hers became a lot slier.

Not knowing what Zero Two was up to caused her to feel afraid, but more importantly, why was she doing nothing to stop this before whatever Zero Two had in mind took place? Whether Ichigo was frozen in fear, or genuinely a little curious in how the other would respond to this, her feet remained rooted to the ground and she honestly did nothing to swat Zero Two's fingers away from her chin.

Her hand had no business being on her body, but instead of reprimanding her about her rudeness, she waited. Zero Two's head tilted slightly to the side and the space between them was becoming littler and littler with every passing second. Her sweet aroma blessed her nostrils more strongly than before and at this proximity, Ichigo could feel the other's breath against her own.

Not much later, Ichigo was not left waiting for long. Her soft, green eyes widened slightly In sheer shock and as Zero Two's surprisingly soft lips recreated the exact scene she shared with Hiro inside Delphinium, this time she was put into a state of suspension. With her body completely frozen, her face also had the same response to the other's unplanned kiss to her lips.

Zero Two wasn't one to hold back however and despite the other's unwillingness to respond to her affection, the parasite took what she wanted and deepened the kiss. Even with her lack of response, Ichigo never fought against her once. Was she too shocked too, or did she have a reason to believe that something more at work here? Ah, well she never understood other people's emotions well nor did Zero Two take the time to find out. However, this person fascinated her from day one just as much as her Darling did.

Even though Ichigo was unable to reciprocate what was being given to her, she did find herself melting underneath Zero Two's strong fondness and no longer were her muscles as tense as before. This was something the other female would surely take the time to notice since she could feel her jaw untightening between her grasp.

And the half-klaxosaur blooded girl allowed Ichigo to know the same with the smirk she soon felt against her own lips. The kiss lasted only for a couple of seconds, but even with the short length, what Zero Two had just done to her was still enough to blow her mind. Once Zero Two slowly separated from her and took a step back to return Ichigo's personal space back to her, the girl's startled eyes still looked up to the taller in question.

"There. Now I have your kiss with Darling returned to me," Zero Two said with a smug smile on her face, her tongue intoxicatingly licking her bottom lip to savor the girl's taste.

"Wh–What..."

That was her aim? Ichigo couldn't answer why this revelation made her shoulders slump slightly. No, she did know why. It was because that kiss was amazing. It was far better than the one she shared with Hiro and just as the boy had told her, her world truly did light up the moment Zero Two's cherry lips had touched her.

It was as if kissing the other caused some chemical reaction within her that made her feel sparks throughout her entire body. ..Was this the kind of things humanity was missing out on this entire time?

"Hmm..."

Zero Two's cyan irises looked up at the sky without any purpose as if deep in thought.

"Sweet. Just how I remembered."

With that said, the beautiful monster then blessed her with a rare, satisfied smile and for once, it didn't unnerve Ichigo. Even if that look on her face was only there at her own expense, she didn't detest it and perhaps that was one of the reasons why she was so stupid.

" _Sweet_ ," she said?

"Zero Two.." The leader started but was unable to finish.

Her mind was not yet over what just took place and was too stuck to construct the proper response to any of this. So, with the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, it was no surprise that her small body jumped in place when she heard Goro and Hiro's loud voices suddenly calling out to them in the near distance.

Had they seen?

At that time she panicked, looking over at her teammate and current crush, but the benign and unaware expressions they had on their faces reassured her of otherwise. In fact, they were waving them over. Had the two boys truly walked in on the unfitting scene, Ichigo knew they would've had the modesty to leave them alone. At least, from their perspective.

In reality, there was nothing to be left alone since Zero Two had kissed her without her consent. Yet her lips were still buzzing and felt warm, a lingering feeling that Hiro left on her own for the past few days.

Now it was last claimed by Zero Two and no longer would she be able to reminiscence the kiss she shared with the person she had romantic feelings for. She'd think of the girl instead, but for whatever reason, that realization didn't strike a nerve within her.

Why didn't she just slap her again?

Ichigo knew she had every right to yet the thought to retaliate never crossed her mind even while she was being kissed by her. She allowed it to happen and that's what confused her the most.

"C-Coming!"

Ichigo hoped they wouldn't notice or question how she stumbled over her words because she was obviously not in her best state of mind at this moment. Before the girl could look over at Zero Two to see the fulfillment she received from her lack of togetherness, she was already on her feet to put that usual separation between her and Zero Two back in place, walking away from the very spot that had caused her heart to do flips in her chest.

As usual, Zero Two lingered further behind from the group, but it didn't take her long to catch up. After all, this time there was something– No, _someone_ other than her Darling who piqued her interest but she decided not to make it plain obvious at this moment.

As Zero Two took a spot beside her almost lover and shared with him a bright, contented smile, Hiro was not blind to the other's change. Because normally she looked disinterested when it was not just the two of them, but this time it was entirely different.

"Did you find something?" He asked, unaware of what kind of intimate moment took place between both his female friends.

"Hmm?" Her arms came behind her back, fingers clasping together. "I sure did, Darling. I found something _very_ interesting." Hiro questioned what it was, but she didn't tell him.

From over her shoulder, Zero Two looked back at the person whom she was referring to and let out a small smirk when she caught Ichigo subconsciously touching her still warm lips when the girl most likely thought no one was looking. When she noticed Zero Two's tantalizing eyes on her, her instinct was to turn her head away from her to hide the warm sting to her cheeks and to dodge the fact that the girl might've seen her touching the place her unplanned but not unwanted lips just touched.

Ichigo did not know what to think about the sequence of events that took place today, but she did know for sure that one certain boy wasn't the only thing that would be running through her mind when slept tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

So, this is the second chapter of ALMH! It's a lot longer than the first chapter which I know was a little short. I initially intended to make these short, yet episode 7 inspired me enough that I couldn't stop jotting down ideas, so here were are. The story picks up a little here, so I hope you guys enjoy this.

I'm trying not to rush their relationship development even with Zero Two's given personality because of how Ichigo's differentiate from hers, but allow me to know what you guys think.

Also, as said in the first chapter, please allow me to know if you see any errors/typos because sometimes they do slip right under my nose even if I re-read my material. And I will start dividing their point-of-views and time sequences with the three dots you'll see. That is all, I hope my readers enjoy this chapter! I had lots of fun writing this one.

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The crisp, fresh smell of the air that surrounded her made up for how cold it was now that the Sun has descended and turned in for the night. She didn't mind it however since it felt nice and welcomed against her skin despite the amount of proper clothing she lacked. This air, the breeze she felt against her face, and how the wind played with her hair to its own liking and forced it to dance with its rhythm was just fine by her.

It was quiet, something she hasn't been allowed to get used to for many years with how busy her life was. So, Zero Two thoroughly took advantage of this momentary peace. Normally, this sort of still silence made her feel lonely.. No, that wasn't the right term. She was never lonely, just bored.

At least that's what the parasite forced herself to believe, not wishing to entertain the idea that she needed other people's company to make her feel whole. As if she didn't feel a small ache and unfulfilled want when she watched Squad 13 act so friendly with each other. As if they've known each other their entire lives.

Perhaps they did and that was just another experience she's never had the opportunity to feel. But she couldn't want that. There was nothing like that waiting for her in a world like this one. She's always be alone, and she's gotten accustomed to that.

The main and unanswered question that stood however was did Zero Two want that, or if she just accepted that circumstance? But the parasite didn't feel like opening her heart up tonight of all days. Not now, or ever since hoping only brought her more unwanted pain. Hiro was the closest thing she had to... something nice and warm in the longest of times.

Warm as the sun that had embraced her skin earlier today. With the moon fully out in the sky however and shining down on her, she knew that her temporary warmth was over for the day. At the end of everything, she was still alone and that was fine.

The silence helped remind her that the only person still awake on this beach was herself, but isolation was something Zero Two has grown to cope with. Actually it was the only way she knew how to live, so she thought nothing of how lonely or pitiful that might look to those looking in from the inside out. Specifically, the girl didn't care either. This was how she lived and she didn't plan to change it anytime soon.

The sky was so beautiful tonight, Zero Two noticed as she looked up at the stars twinkling above her, creating an artwork in the dark depths of the night that she's never seen before. Whenever she looked up, the world was usually either a familiar shade of blue or those same old clouds blocked them from ever reaching her vision. Tonight was a special exception though.

Humorously, Zero Two wondered if the universe was doing something generous for them for once? _Hah_. As if... However, she'll still relish in this beautiful sight before her. After awhile of stargazing, that familiar loneli– No, boredom crept up in her heart when Zero Two thought about how her Darling should be awake to enjoy this view with her.

However, he was back there in his deep sleep, surrounded by his comrades whom he seemed to trust more than Zero Two would feel comfortable doing so with another person. Bonds like that seemed foolish yet that group seemed to care for each other deeper than any relationship she's had with any of her former partners.

What made them so different? Zero Two then wondered what she'd done so wrong in life to miss out on that completely.

Oh, right. She wasn't human enough to own the trust of others. And maybe Zero Two didn't need it as much as her heart told her she did. The large rock the girl sat atop of held up most of her weight and with her lids shut to appreciate the sound of the heavy waves rhythmically kissing the shore better, Zero Two didn't open them even as she heard light footsteps against the grainy sound of the sand.

Someone was here, but the parasite didn't need to open her eyes to know who it was. She could recognize that sweet, vanilla scent from anywhere.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Zero Two asked before her intruder could speak first, lazily reopening her lids as she tilted her head to the side slightly and looked out from her peripheral to take note of the dark blue hair the moonlight shined on.

As if pointing out to her the human whom disrupted her beloved alone time.

She noticed that Ichigo seemed surprised at first. Was she not expecting her to notice her presence, or had she amusingly came here without any real purpose? Zero Two waited to see how her unexpected company would respond.

"I should.. But I couldn't sleep," Ichigo slowly responded as if she reached that conclusion only now. Or was what she said even genuine? Zero Two has come to not believe everything a person says to her.

"Hmm? And you came over here hoping I'd help you sleep? Well, what did you want? A lullaby?" she teased her, that usual humored smile appearing on her face and without even realizing it, the emptiness in Zero Two's chest was slowly filling out.

Ichigo's slightly flustered cheeks made her realize how much her jab just now was worth it.

" _How cute_ ," the girl briefly thought.

She at first only thought of the shorter as someone who was bossy and uptight, but apparently Ichigo could be interesting when she wanted to as well. Maybe not as interesting as her Darling, but almost and that was good enough for her. Hiro was easy to convince, but Ichigo offered her a bit of a challenge that the boy didn't which Zero Two's competitive nature naturally took to.

They were both quiet as Ichigo took a seat in the sand a noticeable distance away from her, her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms embracing them in a way that made the girl appear incredibly vulnerable in her eyes. Zero Two could feel something was off here, but didn't know what was wrong with her.

However, she never tried to ask ichigo what she had on her mind. If she wanted something from her, then she'll have to say so first. When did people honestly need her outside of battling Klaxosaurs though? It was laughable that Zero Two even considered for a moment that Ichigo might've purposefully sought her company.

Yet the girl was still here, wasn't she?

But Zero Two wasn't trained to mend hearts, so she wouldn't know the first thing about how to handle emotions. Maybe she was embarrassed about the kiss? Ichigo did seem a little meek to her, at times so perhaps she was feeling shy? Zero Two didn't waste the opportunity to tease her about something she already determined to be true inside her head.

After a couple of minutes of only silence, she decided to make her move. Evidently, Ichigo wasn't going to come forth on her own or not fast enough for her own dithering patience.

"Are you so embarrassed about me claiming Darling's kiss from you that you can't scold me?"

It was honestly the only time the blue-headed girl spoke to her, so the chances that she'd be here for anything more than that was unlikely to Zero Two. She wasn't used to this uncertainty oozing from her though, or maybe she just never took the time to notice it before. The half-klaxosaur liked how determined the other could be, so this was not the 015 she knew.

Zero Two couldn't tell that her buried concerns for her was subconsciously coming out through this excuse to simply tease her. After all, she never openly worried for others and took the time to care for their emotions. She couldn't spare everyone's hurt feelings. That was just impossible to prevent and it'll be better if they realized that before any of them continued their journey as a parasite.

Albeit Zero Two's heart seemed to care just enough for Hiro's frustrations, mostly because she understood him on a personal level. However, she has yet to open Ichigo up and that left her with a couple of unsustainable curiosities. What made her tick, and what made her happy? She's seen more of the former than the latter, but that was entertainment for Zero Two.

Yes, she preferred Ichigo to be frustrated with her than upset and sad. The redness that was noticeable on

Ichigo's pale cheeks even in the dark moved her heart some though and she felt less compelled to reach out and comfort her. This girl didn't need something like that from her. However, as Zero Two noticed how the girl hugged her knees against her chest a bit tighter, she remembered that many others were more delicate beings.

Well, she'll almost be a tomato at this rate. Was she that embarrassed to talk about it? Maybe Ichigo didn't expect her to bring it up so easily whereas she struggled to for whatever cause. Nothing ever stopped her from speaking her mind unlike this girl who chose to have confidence only at times she wanted to. This one was interesting indeed.

"No! I mean.. That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Ichigo responded as her fingers curled into a fist against her knee.

A method for courage maybe? She seemed to do that a lot when she was frustrated, Zero Two has come to notice. However, what they were talking about now was far more interesting than the girl's small habits. She knew how her Darling responded to her advances, always sporting that same embarrassed expression Ichigo just showed to her seconds ago, but what will she do?

She didn't receive the chance to find out when Goro and Hiro had called them over that evening, disrupting any chance of that moment escalating into something more.

The parasite noticed now as she looked over at Ichigo that the girl no longer looked shy, but troubled. Frustrated even. Even with this awareness in mind, Zero Two hung onto her disinterested expression.

" _Ah_ , _so you did come here to scold me_ ," she thought to herself, but didn't allow her eyes to linger away from the girl.

Instead, she waited for Ichigo to explode.

"Why did you kiss? Back then you said it had to be with someone special to you, right? So, tell me why did you kiss _me_? ..I've tried to figure it out on my own all day, but I've been unable to come up with anything plausible. So..–"

 _Oh_ , _there it was_.

"So, what? It doesn't mean anything. I just claimed my Darling's lips back," Zero Two responded in that same bored tone before turning her head away from her, something that only made Ichigo tick.

In her green eyes, she was looking away because she wasn't interested in what she had to say. In Zero Two's, she just didn't take Ichigo's concerns serious enough to respond to them in the same manner as she was. What was there to talk about?

She thought she'd been clear with her over what she wanted at the time. With her troubles answered, she'll turn around and go back to her sleeping bag now that she had what she wanted out of her. Right?

"That's..." Ichigo bit down on her bottom lip now, as if trying to prevent her emotions from overflowing at once.

She could tell Ichigo wasn't done though, but surprisingly, Zero Two was feeling patient enough tonight to hear her out. This had to be worth her attention, she hoped.

"That's all it was for? You kissed me without my permission despite the fact that I don't even mean anything to you. If you wanted to kiss Hiro so badly, why did you just bother him instead?!"

 _Oh_. So, that's where she was getting out of this? If Zero Two didn't know any better than it almost sounded as if..

"Ah, there you go again. Getting worked up over nothing," she said to her.

Instead of keeping her body turned away from Ichigo, the girl surprised the other by standing up. She then hopped down from her place from the rock, allowing her feet to meet the wet sand underneath her soles which surprisingly felt more nice than gross.

"How do you live being so uptight all of the time?" Zero Two continued thoughtfully, her words only frustrating Ichigo even more which was apparent with how tenser her body became.

With her face close to nearly becoming the same shade as a tomato, Zero Two then said something that disarmed her completely.

"If you wanted to be my Darling too, you just had to say so."

.. _What_? How had she come to that conclusion?

The frustration in her eyes fled and were replaced with pure softness albeit only for a second before they took a very puzzled look to them. Ichigo glanced over at Zero Two for an explanation to this ridiculous thing she was saying. However, all the girl did was smile smugly at her, but this time she didn't get as much cockiness from it.

Zero Two even looked... a little happy? That wasn't where she intended to get with her when she came over here, but why had Ichigo's feet guide her towards Zero Two in the first place?

It was completely subconscious, but it was easier to say that it was unintentional than her actively seeking Zero Two in the middle of the night. She just happened to bump into her and decided to nick this in the bottom, but this wasn't what she planned to get out of it. Be her Darling?

No, it made a tight feeling sit in her chest whenever she heard her use that endearing term with Hiro in such a sweet voice, but not because Ichigo genuinely wanted Zero Two to give her the same amount of treatment.

She did not care if Zero Two looked at her the same way she looked at Hiro, but then why did it upset her so much when she learned that Zero Two kissed her without any important meaning behind it?

It was surely because she never had her permission to, but it was also correct to point out that she didn't stop her either. Ichigo had to not be in the right state of mind to think that she almost didn't mind it and thought it even felt a little great. Maybe it did hurt after all that something that so nice had to come from someone like _her_.

But becoming her Darling too?

She wasn't too sure about that solution and Ichigo preferred to deny wanting any of this to mean something to either of them since it was easier to not get entangled with Zero Two at all. If she rejected her affection, then Ichigo wouldn't have to think of where to go from here. She didn't want any sort of relationship with her nor did she want to be used by her.

It was bad enough that Hiro couldn't see what she was doing to him. Being put onto the same team and admitting to herself that Zero Two had wonderful skills when the moment counted was enough, but it couldn't go any further than that for her.

"No. I don't want to be anything of yours," Ichigo responded.

 _Oh_?

Zero Two opened her eyes now but disappointment never washed over her face. Instead, she kept that triumphant same smile.

"Then what do you want?"

That was a good question. Ichigo hadn't stopped to think about that once before approaching her since her body had seemed to act its own accord.

"I..." Ichigo started, uncertain of where to begin and how to finish. "I want you to leave Hiro and I alone, but I know that's not possible due to the fact that you both are official partners now."

Unfortunately, she'd lost there and it still hurt for Ichigo to acknowledge that.

"All I can ask for you to do is to prioritize him a little and not toy with his feelings. Don't.. toy with mine either, or with anyone's for that matter."

Ichigo could admit she's lost him, but what she couldn't do was sit here and allow the girl to whatever she pleased.

"Just leave me alone and don't drag anyone into your games."

 _Leave her alone_ , _eh_?

Zero Two rested her hand against her hip and the brought the other one near her mouth albeit not to cover the small, humored giggle she made just now. She was clearly unfazed by everything the blue-haired girl just told her.

"How silly..."

Her feet brought her closer to Ichigo now and she noticed how the other stiffened, but didn't move from her place. In a second, Zero Two was down on the ground with her, hovering atop of her as her hand placed itself against Ichigo's shoulder.

With the unexpected proximity, Ichigo naturally lost her balance and fell backwards into the sand, Zero Two coming down with her until she was on top. The hungry predator didn't stop there, leaning down until her mouth was right beside her prey's ear and whispered into it.

"Things that I've marked are already mine."

The feeling of her breath against her ear was ticklish and caused Ichigo to let out an involuntarily shudder.

..

 _Huh_?

"What are you talking about?" Things she's already marked?

"Don't you remember..."

Zero Two had no trouble reminding her, running the flat of her tongue against the smoothness of Ichigo's cheek for a quick lick. That alone was enough to get the familiar sweetness dancing on her tastebuds.

"When I did that?"

And Ichigo's memory of their strange first encounter resurfaced in her mind. Of course, how did she forget that? But that couldn't automatically mean she was hers.

"That doesn't mean anything," Ichigo said, trying to sound firm with her but her looks betrayed her as that familiar flush reappeared on her face and splayed across her cheeks.

"Hmm? It has to mean something.. After all.. You're blushing," Zero Two replied in a hushed whisper which was a little intoxicating to Ichigo.

Those same symptoms and odd thoughts she'd cause her to feel when she had her trapped against the wall were returning to her now. At the moment, Ichigo knew she had to separate herself from the girl with haste.

"G.. Get off me!" The smaller girl didn't wait for the other to do so first, resting her hand against Zero Two's chest as she pushed her weight off of her.

It was easily done since Zero Two wasn't a heavy person, but that was easy to assume with the slim figure she sported. Unbothered by her contempt, Zero Two let out a highly amused laughter that anyone could tell was a sign that she was having fun here.

"You really are interesting, Darling. I think I like you," she had no shame in saying, not minding that she said these similar words to Hiro before. They both captured her attention equally, so why couldn't she like them both?

"I told you not to call me that," Ichigo said irritably, closing her lids in hopes that it'd help the warmth on her cheeks disappear quicker. That wish wouldn't happen very quickly with herself still so close to Zero Two, so she took it upon herself to stand up first and seperate from the laughing girl.

"That's what I meant about you doing whatever you want." Was this girl daft? Or so defiant that she chose not to listen to her advice? Ichigo couldn't figure out which was the case as she dusted off some grains of sand that stuck to her large, white jacket.

"I name all the people I like."

Now that caught her by surprise and Ichigo took a break away from cleaning her jacket to stare over at Zero Two, hoping that she'd be staring back at her with a teasing expression. Yet she didn't. Honestly, Ichigo has never seen her look so genuine before.

People she _likes_? Did they not just go through this?

"Since when do you like me?" Ichigo asked quietly, unsure if she was doing so out of lack of confidence or because some part of her brain thought their conversation could be heard a distance away from their sleeping teammates.

"Mm," Zero Two genuinely took the time to think about it, or maybe she was just pretending to for theatrics since the girl came to her conclusion mighty fast.

"Since the first time we met. You have a sweet taste after all."

What? The girl liked her for her taste? That was the most undesirable thing Ichigo has ever heard yet here her cheeks were getting warm again.

As if the other could read her mind, the girl with the gorgeous set of pink hair continued with those cherry colored lips that Ichigo still could taste on her mouth even hours later. Just the thought of what they shared caused her lips to tingle and butterflies and run free in her stomach, but why was she thinking of that again?

It had to be because Zero Two was playing so many game with her mind right now that she couldn't understand a thing.

"No one has ever had the courage to slap me before too. So, I can give you some credit for that."

What was that? Her emerald colored eyes looked up to see Zero Two gazing back at her with an impressed look. _That_ was what gained her the girl's attention? God, she was even stranger than she initially thought, but what did that make herself? After all, she was just as weird.

The frustration that once took its toil over her entire body slowly fled her as a small chuckle made its way up her throat, surprising even Ichigo herself some. "I don't understand you at all," she then added a sigh to the end of that.

"Not many people do, Darling."

 _"Nor do they get close enough to try_ , _"_ Zero Two didn't add but surely thought so inside her mind.

..

Ichigo didn't immediately return to her sleeping bag. Somehow she ended up accompanying Zero Two for several more minutes that night, or perhaps even an hour while the rest of the world around them slept. Or, at least seemed to. The girl wasn't certain what compelled her to stay, but here she laid beside Zero Two with her back pressed up against the cold sand.

Fortunately, she had her jacket to cover her and protect her from the sand, but Zero Two didn't. Her somewhat tired eyes looked over at the other who looked like a goddess underneath the moonlight with her arms tucked behind her head and her smooth legs crossed over the other.

Her radiating beauty made her own feel inadequate which was a rarity since Ichigo has never felt self-conscious until she met _her_.

Was she alright like this though? Well, she didn't look the slightest bit bothered. Not much seemed to faze her which would normally be something found admirable in a person if not the amount of sympathy the beautiful parasite lacked. She still didn't understand a thing about her despite the fact that she was officially apart of the team now.

As a leader, that wasn't something she should allow to go unchanged. It was her responsibility to bring everyone together and treat each of her comrades like the important asset they were to their team. Even if Ichigo had her own personal feelings about this girl, but she also had to admit that she had admirable skills too. Squad 13 could serve to learn a lot from her. She fought so well yet she didn't seem to care for casualties.

What did she fight for then?

Zero Two was a complete mystery to her and Ichigo wondered if it was her duty as a leader to at least try to understand her before she wrote her off as a heartless monster.

"...Zero Two," Ichigo tried, but waited to see if the other would attempt to hear her out at all, or simply choose to ignore her.

She was genuinely surprised when she did the latter. Ichigo heard the distant, but audible " _Hm_?" come from those attractive lips, and she knew right then that she had her permission to continue. Now if the girl would give her a straight answer.

"What do you fight for as a pistil?"

Unlike before, Zero Two didn't respond to her with an immediate answer. Instead, her eyes remained pointed at the sky as if they were mesmerized in something she couldn't care to take notice of too at this moment. For awhile, Ichigo was certain that Zero Two would never answer her, but before she could take back her foolishly asked question, the girl was rewarded with something new that she did not know about the other.

"I have a lot of klaxosaurs to kill."

The response was simple and didn't expand on what Zero Two's honest drive was, but Ichigo didn't have the confidence to press the subject on any further. It was a miracle alone that Zero Two entertained her undoubtedly annoying question, so Ichigo accepted what was given to her and tried to formulate an opinion with the scrap she was forced to make something out of.

She wanted to kill them, but why? After all, she was partially apart of their species. However, they weren't human but mindless creatures they've been trained to eliminate. Zero Two must think the same as them even if some of their DNA ran through her own blood for whatever case. That was something they at least had similar thoughts in.

"I see," Ichigo replied and believed it would end there, but Zero Two seemed to be full of surprises this cold but somehow still warm night since she caught her off-guard by reciprocating the question.

"What about you?"

...Herself? Well, that was easy to answer. Ichigo always thought she was the most certain of her reason.

"I want to make a difference in the world and please Papa."

The other let out a hum in response and judging by the tone of Zero Two's voice, she couldn't help but think that the parasite wasn't very entertained by her reply.

"Is that all?" Zero Two asked as she closed her lids, leaving Ichigo unsure if she was falling asleep or just resting them.

Whichever was the case, the girl felt bothered that the other looked down on her reason to want to fight. Was Zero Two's reasons not the same, or similar to her own then? Just as she was beginning to believe that they had something in common, her hopes were thrown to the ground.

"That's the same thing Darling said," she mumbled. "At first."

The mention of Hiro caused her heart to get stuck in her throat, but Ichigo tried not to make it too obvious. "At first?"

That implied he changed his mind and no longer wanted to fight for the same reason she assumed he did. What was it then? Zero Two would give her that answer naturally.

"Mm. After the last mission, he told me that he wanted to be my wings instead."

Oh. ...Why did hearing that have to hurt so much?

"He's weird, isn't he? Yet It surprisingly made me a little happy."

Ichigo didn't want to hear any more of this. She finally turned her head away from Zero Two's reminiscent smile, thinking that maybe if she showed no interest in this conversation anymore then– Stars?

A soft gasp left her mouth before Ichigo could stop it, color quickly filling her once disheartened emeralds at the foreign yet magical scenery right before her eyes.

"Stars!" As if she shifted into a entirely different person, excitement welled up inside of Ichigo and settled into every vein in her body.

Zero Two, whom was unaccustomed to the other in high spirits around her was surprised, but only showed this by allowing the smile on her face to stretch out more. Without even knowing it, Ichigo's happiness triggered her own.

"You like them too? I haven't gotten to see them in forever, but even then they were never like this."

There was definitely a shower of stars out here this particular night. How many has she missed out on? One star that slowly flew across the sky, leaving a beautiful and shining trail behind itself made that more clear to her.

 _How gorgeous_.

As the pink-haired girl looked over to the other female laying beside her, she almost couldn't tell which twinkled more: Ichigo's eyes, or the stars above them? It wasn't until then did Zero Two come to the idea that Ichigo might've never seen the stars in person before while living inside the Plantation.

The girl never had the chance to see the surface like she has, so this alongside the beautiful blue ocean was new for her. For all of them maybe. Zero Two couldn't imagine a life where she never knew these things about the world existed.

"There's Orion," Zero Two heard from beside her and she did her best to determine which star the other's small finger was pointing to as there were millions that looked identical to one another.

She knew their names despite having never been on the surface before? The parasite squinted her eyes, doing her best to honestly know which constellation the other could be possibly referring to but came out with nothing.

"Which one? They all look the same to me." Was there a reason behind naming stars that all looked the same as one another?

"Central of the southern sky," Ichigo replied quite informatively, proving to Zero Two that she did surpass her in one area after all.

Maybe several than Zero Two cared to admit. Although, that was not the girl's intentions this time. She was genuinely happy to be able to see the stars she's dreamed about seeing since she was young.

Again, Zero Two's eyes searched and this time she was able to come out with something, her eyes lighting up in a familiar fashion as the other's did.

"Ah! I see it!" she yelled excitedly, happy to be able to pinpoint one of the dazzling diamonds in the sky.

That too was a rare sight for Ichigo and the girl couldn't help but think for a moment that this person she deemed a beautiful monster just earlier looked so pure right now. ...Wait, what's this? When did she begin to enjoy the other's company?

"In the past, Orion was considered the most prominent winter constellation," Ichigo continued, the words leaving her mouth naturally since these were things she learned growing up after taking a certain fascination to them. Or, did she become fascinated in them only because of that certain person?

On cue, Zero Two then had a curious question for her. "How do you know this stuff?"

It was the easiest question she's been faced with all night and this time, Ichigo was more than happy to come up with an answer for her.

"Hiro taught me everything."

That fact about Orion all came from him as well as many other things; she was only repeating the things he's taught her to Zero Two.

"We made a promise to see the stars together if we ever had the chance to reach the surface."

Ichigo imagined that day would only happen once they annihilated all klaxosaurs, but here they were now given a chance that maybe other teams didn't. Just speaking about him made Ichigo's features go soft and she was filled with happiness that their promise was able to come true tonight.

Except Hiro wasn't awake to experience this with her, but Zero Two could suffice. Ichigo didn't mind her presence as much anymore for whatever probable reason that. Zero Two didn't feel any burn of jealousy from this revelation either. Maybe she was selfishly happy that Hiro wasn't here with them, or maybe she's come to like Ichigo's company enough to the point that she didn't mind for it to be only the two of them.

She couldn't explain it, but Zero Two still had lots of more questions for the other's extensive knowledge that prepared her for this very night.

"So, you must know a lot. Tell me about that star then," Zero Two offered the challenge to her while her pointer finger chose a star at random, but seemed to twinkle brighter than the rest.

"Oh, Sirius? It's almost as twice as bright as Canopus..."

And both pistils continued their night talking about the stars with Zero Two learning things she would've never once stopped to think about before. Ichigo was more than happy to teach someone else these things until the more unruly girl eventually closed her lids and lost her battle against her body's need to sleep, unable to catch up with its owner's seemingly endless stamina forever.

Ichigo was just tired enough to join her right there without returning to her sleeping bag first. Something that would most likely cause an unnecessary uproar in the morning when the group found both their sleeping bags empty, but her brain was too overwhelmed due to all the amount of knowledge it dealt that night to consider that consequence.

Meanwhile, Zero Two was already far ahead in her own needed slumber. The beautiful monster was unaware that the constellations were not the only thing she learned that night, but that the void in her heart could be filled if she allowed it to.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thank you so much for all the kudos! This is definitely so much more than what I originally started with. I'm surprised, but glad so many people are enjoying my story so far. Also, I'd love to thank the person who advised me to change the formatting on my fic since it really does look a lot easier for my readers to enjoy now.

This chapter took me a little longer than the last because I kept running out of motivation and then other things popped up, but the inspiration always came back to me once I allowed my fingers to finally meet the keyboard.

Also, of course you'll notice that I've changed the title of my story after Zero Two's actions in episode 8 inspired me. I initially wasn't certain what to name this story at first so I had an idea the previous name would be temporary, but I'm a lot more content with this one. I think it'll sum up what I'm intending to convey with this story?

This chapter will be a little more interesting, I did my best to keep it interesting so that it's not straight vanilla all the way through. If you're paying close attention, then I'm hinting at something that will pop up later in the story. Try to guess what, or who it is if you want.

* * *

Morning crept up on the room full of sleeping, unsuspecting girls each looking perfectly peaceful in their distinctive slumber. In fact, so peaceful that it almost gave off the impression that none of them had to carry around any heavy burdens with the duties they've been assigned to in life. All of them remained in perhaps the most rest they'll ever get in their lifetime.

All except one who happened to always be an early bird amongst her lazier peers.

Although, perhaps _lazy_ wasn't the correct term here since it couldn't be helped that she woke up just a bit too early each and every morning. The girl just couldn't fall back to sleep once her lids opened for the first time each morning, being left with nothing else to think about but to simply start her day as the only other option. And while she was as it, why not make sure her teammates got out of bed in time too?

As Ichigo stretched out her short limbs with a small, strained groan escaping her throat, she then took a look around her warm surroundings she destined to be 'home' to her. Miku, Kokoro, and Ikuno were in the same spots as always, occupying each of their own bunks whether it was the lower or higher one.

However, what would still take some time getting used to is remembering to these were not the only females that lived in their home anymore. As Ichigo quietly got herself together first, her mind recalled her memories of the previous weekend and how much fun they ended up having at the beach as a group. More fun than the girl honestly had expected to experience at the time.

Perhaps that was the most enjoyable moment in her entire life and she was not just talking about _her_. Ichigo wasn't certain if what she shared with Zero Two that day added to her cloud of good memories, or buried itself with the bad. She wasn't even certain about how she should behave around her if they ever crossed paths yet, so how was she supposed to figure something this tasking out?

"Nevermind that," Ichigo thought to herself as the hand she was using to scrub at her teeth became a bit more vigorous, subconsciously brushing her ivories clean even faster and slightly harder than before.

As if her hasty action would help her forget the girl that left her unforgettable presence in her mind. If she brushed her lips too would she also forget how the other tasted like against them?

After rinsing her mouth, the other started to trail back to her dorm room, but stopped short as she approached the nearest one across from her own. This was Zero Two's room and she's been trying to get herself to believe that fact ever since the female barged her way into her squad's home a week ago. Of course, it was Papa's orders, but it still felt like more of the former and Ichigo was not yet accustomed to having an outsider in.

However, as she met her gaze with the dark brown door that dully stared back at her, she realized that she was beginning to see the room as less of an outsider's but Zero Two's instead. And she needed to approach that said door if she wished to wake the other up. A person who happened to love to sleep in despite her multiple warnings to the female to stay on schedule with Nana's orders.

However, before Ichigo could even take another step closer to the door, she felt her stomach begin to knot up.

What was this? Why was she so nervous to enter the other's room? There was no reason her body should be tensing up now. Quickly believing that she was just overthinking things, she slowly inhaled some oxygen into her body with her whole chest and then calmly released it in hopes of her calming heart rate.

It worked only a little bit.

Her hand gently laid itself against the golden doorknob, twisting it clockwise before pushing just a bit of her weight against, so that the door would slowly open for her and let out a tiny, but still audible creak as it did so. And there she laid. Fast asleep, snoozing without a single sound escaping her mouth.

The sun attempted to shine its light through the dark curtains of her room, its rays managing to reach the center of Zero Two's carpeted floor but also managed to hit an unintended target that was the girl itself. With the sunlight draping itself over her, Ichigo thought that this only pointed out how pretty the other looked while fast asleep.

Instead of appearing just as wild as her personality was, Zero Two's sleeping position was surprisingly graceful and that was a large contrast of how Ichigo usually saw her.

Her pink, seemingly soft hair was splayed out across the pillow and her sleepwear—that was not identical to the ones she and the others wore—exposed just an inch or two of her skin that appeared just as soft. At least Ichigo imagined they'd both be soft underneath the delicacy of her fingertips if she were to ever touch either of them, but there again went those strange thoughts.

After all, she's never fantasized about touching the others' hairs or bodies, not even Hiro's for that matter. But with this scene before her, Ichigo couldn't help but think that she looked so vulnerable and not nearly as viscous as the rumors have claimed her to be. She then started to wonder if that was the case even without this mirage? After all, ever since yesterday, she's begun to think a bit differently about her.

Once Ichigo quickly remembered that she stepped inside the female's room with a purpose that was not to gawk at Zero Two or fantasize about her in any way possible, the girl cleared her throat despite not having any heads to turn her way at that moment, then rose her voice to an audible but controllable volume.

"Zero Two. It's time to wake up, please report to the breakfast table before noon."

It worked effortlessly as usual too since despite how deep in her sleep Zero Two might seem on the outside, she was actually a very light sleeper. Just the slightest of movements around her, or simply being stared at seemed to be enough to stir her awake as if the girl had a more refined sensibility than any of them could possibly harbor. Just maybe she did too?

Seeing Zero Two's lids immediately slide open as if she'd been awake this entire time was enough for her and tended to always be the moment she chose to leave her to her duties. Now was not an exception, but Ichigo was more eager to leave for a different reason behind not wanting to see her out of contempt. Rather she wanted to avoid her because she didn't know how to behave in her presence.

Before she was so confident around her, or liked to feel so. Yet just the thought of having to be in close quarters with her was enough to unease her ever since the trip?

Ichigo didn't know what was overcoming her, but she could avoid the source of her troubles at the very least. A small and tired moan being heard from the other side of the door as she was closing it again was the last thing Ichigo heard and she tried to pretend as if hearing that sound from those lips didn't do things to her.

…

Breakfast carried out the same as usual. The boys and girls were on their separate side of the room except the one person who couldn't care to follow the rule about their gender-assigned tables. That was personally Zero Two's problem alone and Ichigo knew that she could only do so much about the unruly girl, before she saw it better to just leave her alone.

She's genuinely chosen to ignore her presence here even before she was officially assigned to their plantation, so this should've been just another day for Ichigo. However, it wasn't. She found it harder to ignore the pair who always stood out from the rest of them as a romantic couple.

As Ichigo watched the pink-headed girl take her seat at the extra, empty chair that always sat beside Hiro—one that was only added through Zero Two's constant refusal to eat without someone who was _not_ her Darling—she wondered why the other was still doing these things?

It was then did Ichigo realize that she was already forming hopes out of the independent girl when she surely should not be doing so. Just because Zero Two and her shared a very personal moment out of pure spite and then more, it did not mean that she would wake up and decide to join her own gender for once.

That she wouldn't stop getting a bit too close to Hiro than to her own liking. The most important question Ichigo didn't stop to ask herself though was if she was feeling bothered because Zero Two was with Hiro, or because Zero Two wasn't moving her chair to her side instead and trying to form some kind of relationship with her too.

It made no sense to long for something the girl did not wish to acknowledge however, so she stayed ignorant to her own heart's obvious signs of wanting something that was too far out of reach of it from it.

As Zero Two fed Hiro some toast that was covered in a more than necessary amount of squeezed out honey, Ichigo forced herself to turn her head away from the happy two.

"Here, Darling! Say ' _ahh_ '."

Ichigo never noticed how her grip on her fork getting tightened, or that her eyes had a look of frustration with a lace of hidden sadness to them as she stared down at her untouched plate. Those around her who were more indulged in their food, or each other, weren't paying her much attention either. All except for one who could not miss the discreetness of her subconscious actions.

…

"Meow," mewed the beauteous, black cat laying itself on her back right before Ichigo's feet.

Ichigo has never known where this cat could've possibly came from—perhaps it was owned by another squad?—but the mysterious house animal always came around their area to either play, or to beg for a nice massage like it was being treated to now.

Ichigo hadn't minded the cat's company upon their first unintended meeting, but now without the girl truly noticing it, she was becoming a little attached to the feline. After all, she's already named it.

"I can't keep playing with you forever, Nao. Even if you are pretty cute.."

Nao only perked her head up from the ground slightly and sported the human a confused look, her big and grey eyes looking innocent as she begged for Ichigo to just scratch her stomach already with only that one, small motion. The soft sigh that fell from the human's lips was a sure sign that the feline just won this battle too.

"How can I resist you if you do that?" Ichigo smiled down at the beautiful cat and allowed her dainty fingers to get to work on the even more fragile and beautiful creature.

In a way, this cat reminded Ichigo of herself. Always alone and recently feeling as if she has beginning to lose her purpose in life due to what she saw as constant failures against her squad. She was only able to wander around aimlessly in hopes that she'd find something along the way.

Or someone who needed her. But at the end of the day, she was left with nothing and retreated back to her own whereabouts. For the cat, she did not know where that place could be, but she hoped that it was someplace nicer than the lonely shell she's begun to put up around herself.

"Who's Nao?"

It was the last voice she expected to hear here and that caused Ichigo to jump slightly in place, easily startled by how Zero Two had once again crept up behind her without her realizing her ever nearing. No, she was startled more because of the fact that she's been trying to avoid the other since this morning, but now her efforts were in complete vain because they've inevidently ended up at the same scene together.

Just like before.

Ichigo didn't turn body around to her despite Zero Two having made her presence known, not feeling up to greeting her. Instead of a proper answer to her question, Zero Two received only the girl's back profile which was possibly childish of Ichigo, but they were still young teenagers. After all, she didn't need to answer something that the other could easily see.

Ichigo ignored how the sound from the bottom of Zero Two's heels clicking against the concrete of their front patio got closer to her. They only stopped once she was able to see the other's body join her at the foot of the stairs from out her peripheral. She was determined to stay around then?

Ichigo's first instinct was to quickly get up and find a reason to leave, but the soft meow that reverberated against her hand which was still pressed to the cat's stomach reminded Ichigo that she still had something more important to take care of at the moment. She couldn't even think to flee and hide until she was certain that Nao was in good hands, and the only ones she trusted were her own.

"You can see that for yourself, can't you?" Ichigo responded lowly, not intending to sound so snippy yet the words left her mouth before she could stop them.

Fortunately or unfortunately for her, Zero Two wasn't bothered by her tone in the slightest bit.

"Hmm..." Zero Two hummed as the beautiful gemstones she was blessed enough to possess as a pair of eyes looked over Nao.

As the sound of something small popping out of the girl's mouth hit her ears, Ichigo naturally lowered her sight to see a blue sucker sitting between the girl's pointer and middle finger which she then twirled around absentmindedly.

For a brief moment, Ichigo wondered if her lips would taste anything like the sweet candy she was enjoying, only before she mentally slapped herself for that crazy thought.

"A cat," she bluntly pointed out with a mild tone of interest, "I didn't know you could have one of those around."

"You usually can't. She's not mine either to be technical." Yes, she couldn't go around claiming this cat as her own. They just happened to meet one day and then the cat started making daily trips over here ever since then.

"Yet you named it?"

Ichigo was silent, unable to come up with a good remark to that. She was right. She'd named this cat that she didn't wish to claim as her own, and inevitably ended up getting attached to it through the process. She couldn't see how well that symbolism could describe her thoughts of Zero Two at this moment.

The intruding parasite didn't take the other's silence to heart, thinking it only meant that she'd hit the nail on the head and Zero Two was correct to conclude to that. However, she wasn't blind to the way Ichigo was ignoring her either. Despite the way Zero Two might carry herself, the girl was incredibly observant to her surroundings and other people's behavior since it was only a repetition of the things she's already seen in others.

However, she never mentioned her discoveries to the other. It was more entertaining to watch Ichigo act uncomfortable around her from afar. Especially over something Zero Two deemed to be so small and childish.

"Don't tell Nana, or the others about this. I don't know what they'll do to her if they find out."

She didn't let Nao inside the house. Only played with it time to time and went out her way to make sure it got fed whenever she could. That was all to her relationship with the animal, but it was enough for them to want to get rid of it altogether if they believed the animal to be too much of a distraction to them as parasites. She didn't want that to happen, but that all depended on Zero Two's loyalty. In her mind, Ichigo already believed it was over.

Yet the other was full of surprises as always.

"Why would I tell? That's no fun," Zero Two got those words out before she placed her sucker between her lips again, twirling it around a bit and getting the flavor all over her tongue to properly savor the taste while it would last.

Again, it came back out and for some reason, the only thing Ichigo's eyes could do was follow the candy.

"I think it's better if we hid some things," she added then, wearing that usual smirk on her face whenever Zero Two was up to no good.

It was the exact same look she had right before she kissed her and when she managed to pin her down to the ground at that one point. Upon the thought of the unwanted memory, Ichigo quickly turned her head away from the girl beside her. Instead, she returned them to Nao whom was wondering why its practical owner had stopped such a nice massage to her stomach.

Ichigo hadn't even noticed that she'd gotten so wrapped up in the other's presence that she stopped tending to Nao's needs altogether. She usually could multitask yet the girl beside her was so horribly distracting. It was as if wherever Zero Two went, she brought a gravitational pull with her. Was this how Hiro also thought of her?

At the mention of him, her heart suddenly felt as if it was being squeezed inside her chest. Then, she remembered the reason for her ire this morning and that longing ache quickly turned into irritation towards both unsuspecting participants.

Despite her emotions though, Ichigo understood what she still owed the other.

"Thank you, I suppose.." she said, not uncertain about whether thanking her was the right thing to do, but uncertain because she didn't want to at all. However, Nao's life was also at stake here, so she had to make sure Zero Two didn't run her mouth off so carelessly.

Fortunately, that should be the least of her problems now. She did not know why the other was sitting out here beside her when she could be well with Hiro though. After all, she was practically glued to his hip and vice versa. Did they do anything without each other these days?

Her own thoughts led Ichigo to feel something very unwanted, but she could not determine the specific emotion for what it was just yet. Her problems all started with Zero Two, so maybe they could go away if she got up and left. Nao could just come with her.

But before her hands could reach out to Nao and pick her up, the black cat was already making its slow but friendly crawl towards Zero Two which honestly surprised them both. The cat mewed as it came to a stop in front of Zero Two's feet, before rubbing the side of its tiny head against the hand that didn't hold onto her almost finished sucker as a friendly greeting to the new human before her.

Meanwhile, Zero Two had no idea what was unfolding before her since she's never interacted with a single animal before. Therefore, she did not know what any of this meant."What's it doing?" she couldn't help but ask, unsure if she should allow the feline to do what it wished with her or stop this.

Ichigo's answer was simple though, " _She's_ greeting you."

The girl didn't miss the emphasis on the 'she', understanding her mistake and that Ichigo wanted her to treat her cat like a person. Zero Two believed she could relate to that far too well. This was surprising information however.

"Eh? My horns don't scare you?" the girl said jokingly before extending her hand and placing a soft touch atop Nao's hand, fingers delicately scratching at her black fur with a gentleness that Ichigo never knew the other could possess.

She'd think that Zero Two wouldn't care for animals at all, but the scene in front of her was enough to make her eat her words.

At the mention of her horns, Ichigo's eyes were brought to the very small, red horns that that stuck out from underneath her pink head of hair. Did she happen to hate her own horns? Ichigo supposed that if she were to somehow own a pair and they constantly reminded her of how she was not completely human, then she'd come to detest them too.

But most of the time, she'd get so caught up in the other's personality instead without how much of a ruckus Zero Two tended to stir up that her horns were actually the last thing that caught her attention.

It was once implausible to Ichigo that she could become even slightly jealous of someone who was not all that human, but now the girl was beginning to focus less on the species Zero Two belonged to. As long as the girl was on Squad 13, she was just like the rest of them. That was how a true leader should act.

"There's nothing wrong with your horns," Ichigo stated seemingly out of nowhere.

She knew that she shouldn't be reassuring her, that she was supposed to be upset with her. However, Ichigo couldn't just sit there while she openly looked down at herself, or at least made it seem as if she was.

Also, Ichigo couldn't leave Nao alone, but including that much at the last second was the same as admitting that the cat that tied them together was only an excuse for her to stay.

She was mad at her yet she didn't mind her company at the same time. It was thoroughly frustrating and Ichigo remembered that it wasn't even easier with Hiro. Only that Zero Two willingly gave her the attention she craved, but didn't need them specifically from _her_.

Zero Two seemed surprised to hear those words being uttered from Ichigo's mouth by the way her eyes widened slightly before returning to their normal size. Honestly, she herself was also surprised. What compelled her to even say that? Zero Two definitely didn't need her ego stroked even more in her eyes, but this also went a little bit past one's pride.

A lack of confidence maybe?

No, Zero Two was always oozing with confidence, but as she recognized that certain emotion flicker in the other's eyes for the quickest moment, it made Ichigo begin to believe that the dauntless girl actually wasn't in love with every single aspect of herself. Did Zero Two also have the same frustrations as she dealt with inside her head, or something similar to it?

"...That was surprising of you to say. This is coming from the same person who deemed me inhuman, isn't it?"

Her words coming back around to bite her in the butt made Ichigo feel both embarrassed and guilty for the thing she said to Zero Two. Her emotions had gotten the best of her at the time, and while she couldn't be confident about whether she genuinely liked Zero Two or not, she still had to treat her as a person.

She needed to treat her like the rest of her teammates and the red horns that jutted out from her head shouldn't be the thing that stopped her from doing that. Ichigo was still trying to separate her personal feelings from her duties, naturally making a couple of mistakes in the process due to her young age.

Even though the other had stolen a kiss from her and then continued to toy with her emotions, she unfortunately still had to trust her when they were out there in the Franxx. That was the most Ichigo could bring herself to do at this time.

"..Yes. And I apologize for that, I might've judged you too soon," Ichigo stated while she closed her eyes for a moment.

Whether she was biologically considered human, or not was the last thing on her mind ever since the occurrences of the previous weekend.

"Ooh? I'm shocked. Well, I suppose I can–"

Ichigo was not done yet however.

"–But I still think you're awful."

The gratified smile on Zero Two's face slowly fell for a moment, before they curled back up and returned to their initial position as if the pistil had to remember not to show her emotions on her face. Zero Two did not have to say anything for Ichigo to elaborate on why she viewed the other in this way either. The girl was still peeved enough by her and her choices that she'd end up letting this all off her chest at once.

"You mess with my emotions simply for the fun of it, and don't think about whether your actions will hurt the other person."

Ichigo's hands balled up into small fists, her only outlet for the anger and frustration quickly rising inside of her. No, it was always there but Zero Two had a gift for causing it to increase by simply being around.

"You might be human, but being one also means admitting that sometimes you're wrong. Sometimes you make mistakes, but you always consider the other person and try to make up for your actions, not use them for your own good. Right now you're nothing but a bad person in my eyes. So, don't call me your 'Darling' anymore."

Ichigo stood up on her feet and with her head still lowered, her eyes missed the dolefulness that Zero Two's face took in that very moment. However, Zero Two's head was also lowered so it wouldn't have been possible for Ichigo to see the expression the girl had underneath those pink bangs that draped around her face and hid everything on it.

Just how both girls tended to with their own hearts, but wasn't aware of it at the time. Because of the silence that still continued from the other's end, Ichigo figured that she did not have even the common decency to respond back. Even after letting her emotions out on the other, she felt more upset than before rather than any better.

With nothing else to say to the girl, Ichigo turned on her heel and walked up the four steps that would lead to the front door again. Just as her hand covered the doorknob, she then heard Zero Two mutter something.

"Have I hurt you?"

Ichigo didn't respond and twisted the knob, leaving the other to figure that out on her own as she reentered her home and shut the door behind her with a larger force than normal.

...

Sirens blared from a close proximity and everyone within the plantation recognized the sound from its very first ring, their brains springing into an immediate alert due to what these sirens meant. Before a man's voice instructed them what to prepare for through a voice intercom, everyone already knew what to do. They've been through this drill countless times before, both for practice and both for a real situation.

Security rushed for shelter, meanwhile parasites rushed to their stations, already dressed in their clad uniforms. Squad 13 were chosen to quickly deal with this matter since Squad 26 could not be reached considering that they've been assigned to another mission on Level 7. It was possible that something could've happen from their part that provoked the klaxosaurs into retreating and crawling up to the surface instead. That made these batch of klaxosaurs now theirs to deal with.

In any case, this would also help with the team's practice, Ichigo surmised in her head. As Ichigo climbed into Delphinium, it took every ounce out of her _not_ to look over to the area Zero Two and Hiro got themselves promptly settled. It was fortunate that the sirens were blaring so loudly to the point that her ears were practically ring that she could not listen in on their small exchanges.

 _Focus, Ichigo. You can't mess this mission up too_. _You must act like their leader._

Neither Zero Two, or Hiro could mess up her focus. This time for sure she'll prove herself.

"Current distance to klaxosaur group: approximately a 2,000 inch distance," alerted the computer voice assigned to the sensors outside the structure of their plantation.

Its main function was to detect nearby enemies and anything that was reported, was naturally passed down to them through audio. Ichigo has yet to see the technology fail on its duty. If a computer could be so reliable, then so could she.

She was ready for this, she had to be. Ichigo never noticed the way her jaw tightened in determination, or how tense her body appeared. However, her partner was not oblivious to it and always caught on to her behavior even if it was the smallest of actions.

"Ichigo," That was all Goro needed to say to bring Ichigo out of her head. He didn't need to say much more than that either because by his concerned tone alone, she understood what he was asking her.

"I'm fine," Ichigo reassured him despite the fact that she was being dishonest.

Her mind did not feel all that there, but she wouldn't cause her teammates to worry about her unnecessarily and lose focus on the mission. The mission and their home was far more important than her.

Goro shot the other an unconvinced look even though Ichigo did not dare to look over her shoulder to meet his gaze. The girl knew if she did that, Goro would somehow read every thought in her head and she didn't wish for him to know the distractions that were running in her head again.

If she pretended that she was fine, then she could surely fool herself too. A defeated sigh fell from Goro's lips that told her that he wasn't about to argue with her. There was no time to.

"Alright."

For a moment, Ichigo closed her lids and allowed a string of air to enter her nostrils and then release from her slightly parted lips at a slow rate and then a silent calm inside her head happened. By then, she was ready.

Her soft, green eyes scanned the visage and took note of the Lehmann class accompanied by a smaller group of Conrad running rapidly towards the middle of the base at an alarming pace. They'd have to act fast.

"We have a visual on the klaxosaur."

"Franxx spreading out."

"In position."

"Commencing operation.." Ichigo finished resolutely.

And then Squad 13 was off.

...

"Stay alert and remember the plan," Ichigo calmly ordered her teammates, almost surprising herself with how well she was keeping it together so far.

Good. If she kept this state of mind, then things will be safer for her squad. If the head of their team wasn't collected, then that would only leave a dreadful fate for her teammates up ahead.

Ichigo couldn't allow that to happen and because of those reasons, she had to play her role perfectly. All her friends' lives were in her hands here.

"Argentea, take the group of Conrad your left. Genista, head for the right. Goro and I will aid Strelizia in taking down the big o–"

A swoosh of air ran past her before she could completely give out her orders and for a moment, Ichigo believed that they might've acted too slowly and the klaxosaur were already on their tails. However, one look ahead told Ichigo that the klaxosaur hadn't shortened the gap between them at all. Rather than that, Strelizia was already far ahead of the group and proceeded to annihilate the left side with one swing of its lance.

Dammit!

Zero Two was getting ahead of herself again by trying to show off. Having her orders blatantly ignored by the other worked her ire, but Ichigo tried to keep her head. She could still scold the other for this since she was indeed Zero Two's leader as well. Especially since the parasite had to keep in mind that she was no longer fighting alone, but with a team.

Her own teammates and people she considered to be close friends. Ichigo couldn't risk their lives due to Zero Two's recklessness, but at the same time, she also had to look over Zero Two with the same amount of care. It was a stressful thing to balance and nothing that was made easier on Ichigo considering just _who_ she was responsible of.

"Zero Two, don't act on your own!" she chided.

"What's the issue? I got rid of them quickly," Strelizia... No, Zero Two said monotonously to her, the normally orange and white lance she carried now coated with blue blood that belonged to the Conrad she dishonorably just took the lives of.

"That's not the issue. You plainly didn't wait for my ord–"

"Ichigo! Goro!" she heard Miku scream, breaking her out of the dispute she'd been in the middle of with Zero Two.

 _Huh_?

She'd gotten so caught up in disciplining Zero Two out here in the open, that she did not notice the largest klaxosaur charging towards the center of their position. Right where Delphinium stood. Goro didn't miss a beat, readying Delphinium to get out of the way and avoid a direct clash with the beast, but at the existing proximity, it'd be too late before they could move.

Meanwhile, Ichigo's mind was completely frozen and she was certain that even her heartbeat came to a still, her breath falling short in the process. Her last panicked thoughts were how could she have messed up so horribly?

What she heard next was Hiro's yell, but due to how far from reality her head was at this moment, it came out muffled. Ichigo wasn't granted the time to decipher what he was yelling about either. What happened next occurred too fast for Ichigo's mind to follow too.

The last thing Ichigo's soft, green eyes witnessed was Strelizia's figure suddenly in the remaining space between them and the klaxosaur, arms spread out into a battle stance as if it was ready to recklessly take on the Lehmann on its own. Not only that, but use its body as a shield for Delphinium.

It was only then did Ichigo's head resurface from the blank state it was in and finally understood what Hiro was yelling.

 _"Zero Two!"_


End file.
